49ers Team Grades: San Francisco Drops Heartbreaker In Arizona
The San Francisco 49ers dropped to 1-8 on Sunday thanks to a 23-20 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on the road. However, the team played better than it has in quite some time and the 49ers fought back from a 14-0 deficit in the second quarter to tie the game in the fourth.
The Cardinals won on the last play of the game after driving 69 yards in the final 1:55 to kick the game-winning field goal. The 49ers were that close to breaking a seven-game losing streak and the team surely has confidence now that it can compete on a week-to-week basis, thanks to steadier play from quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
Offense: B-
The 49ers only gained 281 yards on offense, but the team took advantage of its opportunities to score 20 points on the road against a good defense. That counts for something. Kaepernick played relatively well, completing 56.7 percent of his passes for 210 yards and a touchdown. The SF quarterback also ran for 55 yards and a score. In many ways, it was a vintage Kaepernick effort.
The downside was the effort from the running backs, DuJuan Harris and Carlos Hyde. They combined for just 28 yards on 18 carries, leading to just a 7-for-17 effort on third downs. Toss in wide receiver Jeremy Kerley's fumble, despite his team-leading seven receptions, and these two factors kept the 49ers from scoring more points.
Defense: B-
The fact that the 49ers gave up 448 yards isn't surprising, as the defense came into this game giving up the most yards in the league per game. The fact that San Francisco gave up only 20 points until the final play of the game is the good part, as the 49ers forced four turnovers to keep the Cardinals off the scoreboard a few times.
The Arizona offense was only on the field for 32:18 in this game, so the SF defense wasn't exhausted. Perhaps that played a role in the turnovers; the 49ers sacked Cardinals QB Carson Palmer twice in addition to intercepting him twice as well. If San Francisco is going to give up yards, it needs the defense to play like this in terms of sacks and turnovers.
Special Teams: A-
Kerley had a nice punt return in this game and kicker Phil Dawson was perfect in field goal and extra point attempts. Punter Bradley Pinion launched seven kicks, including one for 52 yards. His 41.7-yard average could be a bit better, though. The 49ers got excellent kick coverage against the Cardinals in this game as well.
Coaching: A-
The final drive for Arizona was obviously a disappointment to everyone associated with the 49ers organization, but it was a great achievement for this team to be competitive with the Cardinals on the road after falling behind 14-0. The credit for that has to go to head coach Chip Kelly and his staff for keeping morale high and the schemes fresh throughout the game. When the 49ers actually improve their talent level, Kelly will likely be able to get this team back to the playoffs.
Kaepernick's improvement in the last two games might be attributed to the QB's body finally healing from the myriad of injuries suffered last season, but Kelly deserves a lot of credit, too, for getting Kaepernick ready to play at this higher level during the last two weeks since the bye.
Up Next
Unfortunately, San Francisco hosts the New England Patriots next week and few teams are capable of exposing flaws as well as the Patriots. It's not what the 49ers needed after a confidence-building game like this, because New England is clearly one of the best teams in the league.
Post Author: Sam McPherson.